The Life of a Taiwanese Student

These precious kiddos aren’t just adorable, but they are also the reason why thousands of westerners have jobs in Taiwan.Buxibans (cram schools) are located on every corner in Taiwan, and I would safely bet there are as many buxibans as 7-11s.

A common day for a Taiwanese student consists of 6 hours in a primary school (4 hours for kindergarten), followed by English classes in a buxiban. For older students, more tutoring follows in subjects such as math, French, and music until 9 pm.

As a result of all of the intense learning crammed into one day, these kids are pretty smart cookies; I’m constantly impressed by their ability to focus all day long from one subject to the next.

And English isn’t the only party trick in my students’ bag; they also take lessons in French, Spanish, and Japanese. In addition to being extremely intelligent, they are also polite and friendly. I have taught in Honduras and Indonesia, and Taiwanese students have by far proven to be the most respectful.

I’m proud to say these kids are my students, as they make it an absolute joy for me to walk into work everyday.